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FB: Big Ten Tied for Conference Lead with Four O'Brien Award Semifinalists

The Big Ten tied for the lead among all conferences with four semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award announced today. The Big Ten and Big 12 both produced four semifinalists for the award, followed by three semifinalists for the Pac-10 and two each from the SEC and WAC. The Big Ten's four O'Brien Award semifinalists are Iowa's Ricky Stanzi, Michigan's Denard Robinson, Michigan State's Kirk Cousins and Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor. Stanzi was also a semifinalist for this honor last season. Narrowed down from all 120 quarterbacks from NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision schools, semifinalists were selected by The O'Brien National Selection Committee, with the Fan Vote accounting for five percent of the total vote. The committee was asked to consider the following criteria: quarterback skills, academics, character, leadership and sportsmanship. Four Big Ten quarterbacks have won the Davey O'Brien Award, including Iowa's Chuck Long (1985) and Brad Banks (2002), Ohio State's Troy Smith (2006) and Penn State's Kerry Collins (1994).